Saturday Morning Cartoons #82
Home for The Holiday
Good morning, fam!
Hope you all had a good Dead Week and some Happy Holidays!
Anyone else so deep into their holiday break, they forgot what day it was? Thank God this newsletter is called Saturday Morning Cartoons. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know which way was up.
I haven’t gotten to half of the things on my bucket list, but I have had one helluva break full of quality time with friends (old and new), bingeing #content (old and new), and I even got a teeny bit of (new) writing finished.
While I get ready to make my vision board for 2024, check out this week’s recs.
Dust off those old magazines, bust out those glue sticks, and let’s get into it.
Here’s what I have for you this morning:
After a month-long reading marathon, I finally finished 1Q84. It’s a Japanese sci-fi novel with over 1100 pages that includes parallels to the original 1984 by Orwell. Interesting structure (Each chapter switches back and forth between the two main characters) and great character development, but it definitely could have gone without some of the middle chapters. (★★★••)
I blew through It’s Always Sunny Season 9 and the standout episode was definitely “Flowers for Charlie.” TL;DR: Charlie is given a Limitless-type pill and becomes insanely smart.1 (★★★★•)
This was a great week for movies. After rescheduling twice, Abby and I finally saw Poor Things at Alamo and I don’t take it lightly when I say this was easily the best movie of 2023 (and possibly 2022). It better win either Best Picture or Best Actress because this was hands down Emma Stone’s best work. The three words the best describe it are dark, twisted, and whimsical. (★★★★★)
Next up, we hunkered down back at our place after family Christmas, ordered some Chinese food, and watched a few holiday movies. First up was Family Switch (the new Ed Helms movie on Netflix) and it was…meh. It’s basically a Freaky Friday rip off but this time, it’s the whole family. Cute but nothing to write home about. (★★•••)
We ended the night with none other than the greatest holiday movie ever made: The Holiday. It’s warm, fuzzy, and Jude Law plays the most attractive man on Earth. I mean come on, he’s a widower who juggles two little girls, book editing, AND respectful one night stands. Oh, did I mention he also looks like JUDE FREAKING LAW?! (★★★★★)2
And for my final movie of the week, we watched Saltburn during movie night and dear God is it twisted. In fact, there was a scene so gross, we had to pause it just so we could yell in horror. I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a nastier scene in a movie. Solid first two acts, but the third kind of falls apart at the end. (★★★••)
After a ton of hype, I finally I downloaded a demo for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for Playstation and I…don’t know how I feel. It’s fun, but after so many open-world games, it might not be my personal cup of tea. Might get the full game if there’s a really good sale. (★★★••)
Over the past week, I’ve been hitting up a different coffee shop every morning. Yesterday, I went to Blueprint Coffee and tried their featured Drupe espresso. So. Freaking. Good. A little fruiter than their house Penrose blend which is our go-to for local espresso beans. (★★★★•)
Today as I write this, I’m at Sump Coffee and I just tried their Super Natural Colombia Koji Gesha pour over. The tasting notes say “Fruity Pebbles, Starburst, and Umami” so how could you not like it? I might be taking a jar of these beans home. (★★★★•)
During an amazing get-together with new friends, we were introduced to the “Meeting Friends” card game from The School of Life and I can’t think of a quicker way to make friends as an adult. The four categories of cards were Warming Up, Emotional Things, Tender Things, and Big Serious Things. I’m definitely picking up this and a few other decks for future hangs. (★★★★•)
You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.
Cheers,
Billy
Per usual, there’s a twist ;)
I know I have a rule about giving five stars to only one thing each week, but come one - these were two of the best movies I’ve ever seen.